


A Flamebroiled Christmas

by ShanleenKinnJaskey



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A little angst, Cleo - Freeform, F/M, Happy Nico, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jasiper, M/M, frazel - Freeform, percabeth, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:24:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2715476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShanleenKinnJaskey/pseuds/ShanleenKinnJaskey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the Christmas after the final battle against Gaea. Jason and Piper have almost gotten over Leo's death, Will and Nico are finally dating, and Annabeth and Percy are doing well in New Rome. For the winter solstice, all the demigods are planning to celebrate with a festival held at Camp Half-Blood, organized by the leaders of the camps.<br/>What was supposed to be a peaceful festival ends up getting turned on its head when an old friend shows up, shocking everyone and sending their holidays into a spin.<br/>Who's ready for some "supersized McShizzle" coming their way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. NOT DONE YET!

_"Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all_

_But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall_

_Lend me your eyes I can change what you see_

_But your soul you must keep, totally free..."_

_-Mumford and Sons,_ Awake My Soul

 

 **Ten**   **Days** **Before** **Christmas,**

**Unknown Island in the Sea of Monsters**

 

**Leo**

 

Leo had his arm wrapped around Calypso's shoulders. Her beautiful caramel hair fell down over her shoulders, glinting in the light of the setting sun.

"I've had a great time, Leo," she said, "After being trapped on my island for thousands of years, this little world tour has been fantastic. There's just one place left on my list."

"And where is it that you want the awesome Leo Valdez to take you to?" Leo asked. He'd lost none of his signature 'charm'.

She turned to him and smiled. She was beautiful, and for what had to be the thousandth time since he'd met her he wondered how a girl like her had ever chosen a guy like him. Every girl that beautiful had either beat him up, run away, ended up his best friend's sister, or tried to turn him (unsuccessfully) into a Leosicle. "I want to see all your friends at camp, Leo."

He grimaced. He'd told her everything that had happened to him on his quests with the other demigods, including his death. "Do you think they were upset? You know, about me dying and all?"

"They're your friends, Leo. Of course they were upset." She paused and read the unspoken question on his face. She'd gotten really good at that over the past few months. "And they care about you too much to hold a grudge over you not telling them you're alive. In fact, they'll probably be overjoyed to see you, especially Jason and Piper!"

He grinned. "I love ya, Calypso," he said.

"I know you do, you idiot," She said, smirking.

He whistled. "Festus! Happy the Dragon! C'mon, we're gonna go see Sparky and Beauty Queen!"

Festus swooped down, his gold and brass scales practically glowing in the setting sun. He almost looked happy, if machines could have feelings, that is. Leo felt the same way, realizing as he helped Calypso up onto Festus' back that something had been missing for the last few months. He'd had a glorious time with Calypso, but deep down he really missed his best friends. He hopped up next to her, adjusting his tool belt subconsciously.

It was the one year anniversary of Jason, Piper, and his first fight together as demigods. A lot had happened since then, and he'd gotten closer to them. They'd become his family, in a way that no one else ever had, but he'd also been apart from them for so long. He just hoped it wouldn't be too long ago for them to forgive him forging his own path.

 

**Camp Half-Blood**

**Piper**

 

Piper was also thinking about how it was the anniversary of their first battle together. She was sitting on the rooftop with Jason, both of them in jackets and jeans to keep them warm in the cool breeze that was blowing in from the north. "It's been almost five months since Leo died," She said. She hated spoiling the mood, but she felt like something needed to be said. Leo had been their best friend, and though she loved Jason dearly, deep down she'd been having a feeling of bein incomplete. She missed Leo's snarky comments, his fire, his tofu...heck, she even missed his constant tinkering and greasy hands!

But thanks to her work on the Camp, she was mending. Helping build new cabins, finding new campers, organizing events, and the matchmaking required of a daughter of Aphrodite(especially a recently discovered gay couple) took a lot out of a girl, barely leaving time for the things she wanted most- Iris messages with her Roman friends, calls to California to see her family, Hedge and Mellie, and of course time with Jason. It had all helped with the grief, and she suspected she was almost ready to let go of Leo Valdez.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about him too lately," Jason said, and she once again wondered if he could read her mind. "I think it's almost time for us to let him go. Hazel and Nico both sensed him die, and the physician's cure disappeared. He was a great guy, Piper, and I feel really sorry for Calypso. You remember how his face lit up when he talked about her, right?"

She smiled and playfully punched him on the arm. "That's for Aphrodite kids to notice, Jason."

He grinned, and her eyes were drawn to the tiny scar above his lip. He would've been cute without it, but she thought it added to his appeal. "Sorry, Pipes, I didn't mean to steal your secrets," he teased. Then he sobered. "How about this? We'll say our final goodbyes the first day of the festival, when the other heroes have made it here from New Rome. You, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, Percy and I- I know they haven't been completely at ease with it either. Maybe the six of us can help each other out, make it easier."

She leaned in. "Sometimes you say the most perfect things, Jason," ah said, breathing in the slight smell of ozone on his orange t-shirt.

"If anyone says perfect things, it's you, Piper McLean," he said, then kissed her, his lips carrying the same small electric charge as always.

 

**Camp Jupiter**

**Percy**

 

Annabeth and Percy had had a great first semester of college in New Rome. The school was specifically tailored to fit the mental patterns and attention spans of ADHD demigods, with cool classes such as swordsmanship and mythology mixed in with boring/ harder classes like calculus and English Literature (for Percy). At least there was one section he had an edge in, and it was probably the most shocking of all- Ancient Latin.

The two of them spent most of the afternoons together or helping out Hazel, Frank, and Reyna, while evenings and weekends were devoted to homework and war games. They ate dinner down with the cohorts (Percy was still a legionnaire, and due to Annabeth's heroics and legendary prowess in battle, she'd skipped the _probatio_ step and joined the Fifth Cohort's ranks). They also had to balance their paying jobs in New Rome- Percy taught a class in Greek fighting techniques to the _probatio_ demigods in preparation for them joining the legion while Annabeth helped out down at the new augur's temple sanctuary, interpreting Ella and Tyson's strange remarks as the few demigod/legacy scribes copied down the Sybilline prophecies she told them- with the rest of their lives.

"We're heading back to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow. You ready to say hi to Piper and Jason?" Annabeth said as paced helped Percy clean up his room. He shared the praetor's cabin with Frank, who felt uncomfortable taking an entire cabin to himself. Percy knew the feeling. Since he'd started there five years ago the Poseidon cabin at Camp Half-Blood had always been empty. It had taken a bit getting used to, but now the familiar sound of Frank's snoring (yes, he really did snore) was comforting rather than irritating. However, being a Roman, Frank kept his side of the cabin as neat and organized as possible. Percy, being both a Greek demigod and ADHD- not so much.

Annabeth shared an apartment in New Rome with Hazel and Leila. After their first year of college was over Percy and Annabeth were planning on getting their own apartment together, but for now they had to get used to the New Rome way of life as opposed to the mortal world or even Camp Half-Blood.

"Of course, Wise Girl," He said, turning around with a playful smirk on his face. Annabeth was already packed, of course- the daughter of Athena was always ready to go.

She raised an eyebrow. "And what about Nico? You've heard he's with Will Solace now, right?" A mischievous light glittered in her eyes, showcasing her amusement.

Right. That one. Percy was still a little conflicted on how to feel about Nico do Angelo, the enigmatic Son of Hades. After all, the kid had betrayed him, tried to kill  took him to bathe in the Styx, saved his life, befriended a giant for his sake, controlled the dead, and not to forget the latest incident- telling Percy that he had once had a crush on him.

He was flattered, of course, but knowing the son of Hades had once had a crush on him at a time that would have been like being in a homosexual relationship with your little brother? That was just too weird to contemplate.

 

**Hazel**

 

Hazel patted her jacket pocket as she headed out, making sure she had everything that she needed to go to Camp Half-Blood. Clothing? Check. Gladius? Check. Aurion? She'd get him along the way. Frank's lifeline, the firewood? Still there- always there.

Frank ran up, his bow as always strapped to his back. Even as praetor he had hung onto his form of attack. He even took pride in it now. She smiled when the glint of his medals caught her eye- she was so proud of him. Reyna and Frank had done a fantastic job of leading the legion, surpassing even the former team of Reyna and Jason. The children of two war gods- who else would be better leaders for a legion of Roman demigods and legacies? Jason and Percy were absolutely breathtaking in battle (of that there was no doubt), but they were a bit too heavily influenced by the Greeks to properly lead a Roman legion. Not that Hazel didn't appreciate their fighting style, though- they were absolutely incredibly in combat.

"Are you ready, Hazel?" Frank asked, a goofy grin on his face, and she once again thought about how different (yet shockingly similar) the two praetors were. Both cared immensely for their troops, but while Reyna shared her strength with everyone from a podium, Frank actively helped out in the lines, helping medics and cheering up troops while leading them. Yet both were fantastic warriors and tactians.

"Yes, Frank, I think I've got everything. Are you excited to see Jason and Piper?" She asked.

He nodded, a shadow crossing his face. "But someone's not going to be there, Hazel," he said darkly, frowning.

The thought of Sammy's great-grandson flashed through her head. He'd died protecting her, just like Sammy had told him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to leave comments and kudos. Comments are especially useful!


	2. The Shadow King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone attacks Jason before the festival, and Nico gets horribly wounded trying to save his friend..  
> More backstories. (NOT DONE YET!)

_"Maybe this was how you stayed sane in wartime:_

_a handful of noble deeds amid the chaos."_

_-Scott Westerfeld_

 

**Eight Days Before Christmas,**

**Camp Half-Blood**

 

**Nico**

 

Nico walked past the infirmary, resisting the urge to go in. He'd had a hard time opening up his feelings to Will, but the healer, thankfully, had reciprocated them. He smiled at the memory. His out-of-character confession had earned him a peck on the cheek from Will Solace, so it was well-worth it.

Nico ran off from the infirmary, wanting to get some air. He'd been getting better and better over the past few months, more fit. He was almost ready to shadow-travel, and according to 'Doctor's orders' he'd be able to with no bodily harm at Christmas.

He ran past the Big House and Heatia's fire. He ran past his cabin and Percy's, nearing Zeus'. Then he heard scuffling noises, and a muffled scream. He put on the brakes and turned to the sound off the noise- the Zeus cabin. He quickly set off towards it, stepping lightly. He snuck around the side and peeked aroun the doorway to see Jason Grace being held captive by two beefy guys in purple t-shirts. They had a knife to his throat, and somehow it was stopping his powers from working. They had his arms behind his back and were obviously about to do something horrible.

And of course Nico couldn't let them do that. I mean, Jason could be really annoying sometimes, but he was a loyal and honorable friend who'd protected Nico's secrets and helped open him up to other demigods. So Nico drew his Stygian Iron sword, just the faintest trembling in his hand, and charged in. As he ran he realized that he'd spent far too much time in the infirmary lately- his tactical skills were nowhere near as sharp as they'd used to be. He never would have let his emotions rule his head and get him into trouble like this before.

One of the guys dropped the knife he was holding to Jason's throat and turned it on Nico. With a deft flick he hit Nico's blade with it and it a agonizing twist (on Nico's part, at least) wrenched the sword out of Nico's hand. With a cry of pain he dropped the sword, and then felt a stinging sensation in his back. He looked down at his stomach to finds the tip of a silver blade sticking out of it, and then looked around at the third guy who had stepped out of the shadows behind him. "That's for Octavian," the guy said, and Nico collapsed, shadows spilling into his vision.

He groaned, the full pain starting to hit him- the dagger had not only hit him in a hard spot, he could feel the poison on the blade working its way through his system. Sparks filled the air around him, and he looked up to see Jason, who had easily broken free of his captors now that they had taken the knife away from his neck, therefore returning his powers. He quickly dispatched the attackers with well-aimed blows of lightning and his sword.

Then he ran over to Nico. "Dear gods, di Angelo," he cried, carefully scooping up the fallen demigod, "Why in Hades did you do that?" Without waiting for an answer, he ran out the door, shouting for help. Nico's vision steadily disappeared, the poison working its way through his system.

Jason got to the infirmary, and Will was at the door. Jason spilled out what had happened and got Nico to a bed while Will dig out the supplies. He poured nectar into Nico's mouth and into the wound, and his fingers were trembling as he put them on the hilt of the dagger to pull it out. "Please, please, let this work," Will whispered, his voice cracking with emotion, and Jason zapped the wound to numb it. Then Will pulled, and oblivion claimed Nico.

 

**Piper**

 

Piper came running when she heard the noises. She'd been on her way to Jason's cabin when she heard his shout and saw him almost to the Big House, holding what looked like a body on his arms. She ran after him, arms pumping, and arrived just as Will had finished bandaging a wound in Nico's stomach.

As a daughter of Aphrodite she noticed the tenderness and gentleness that was displayed in Will's fingers as he helped Nico. Once he was done he lightly brushed Nico's cheek, lovingly tracing the shape of his sharp cheekbones. She could see fierce tears in the healer's eyes, and she could see how much he cared about the Son of Hades.

"Is he going to be alright?" She asked, and Jason jumped a little.

"Sorry, Piper, I didn't see you there," he said, turning to face her. He was also worried about Nico, just like she was. He was so worried, in fact, that he'd dropped her nickname and hadn't noticed.

Will turned to them. "Yeah," he said, "Nico's going to be alright, though it'll be awhile before he's up to full strength again. It'll take a while to recover." He looked at Jason. "Jason, I can't thank you enough for what you've done. You got him here in time, before the poison could spread too far."

Jason sighed and sank down into a chair. "But it's all my fault," he argued, "He only got hurt because he was trying to help me."

"Yeah, Jason, what happened? No one's told me," Piper said, crossing her arms. She cast a quick glance over at Nico. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep like that- without his scowl and given a few years he might have even handsome.

"Well, I went to bed earlier this evening and woke up with a knife at my throat. Two guys in purple t-shirts forced my hands behind my back. I tried to use my lightning powers but somehow they were cut off. I screamed, but one guy clapped a hand over my mouth. One guy was bringing out a long sword when Nico burst in, wielding his blade. The guy who had the knife to my throat ran to intercept him, and I began to take care of the other one when I heard Nico cry out in pain. I turned around and found him on the ground with that dagger in his back." Jason pointed to the bloody dagger that was lying on the table beside Nico's bed. Nico shuddered, trembling badly. Will anxiously checked Nico's pulse and forehead, then grabbed a bottle labeled 'Unicorn Draught' (probably a gift from Camp Jupiter) and poured a bit into Nico's mouth. His shuddering stopped, his breathing returning to normal, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Then Jason continued, "I took out the one who had put the knife at the neck and then turned on the one who had stepped out of the closet. I saw immediately that he was the one who had stabbed Nico, and I'm afraid my anger got the better of me. He's alive, but I don't think he'll ever walk properly again. I _do not_ respond well to people hurting my friends."

Piper looked at him, and she saw his hands clenched into fists at his sides, trembling with anger. She walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and unclenched his fingers, then finished talking. "I ran Nico to the Big House and Will fixed him. That's where you came in, Pipes." He slid her hand off his shoulder and into his hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She could tell that his anger was going down, that he was turning back into his normal self. He was nearly back to normal, and he was almost done talking.

"They wanted revenge on me for what they saw as betraying them, and Nico got in the way," Jason said, reaching out with his free hand to pat Nico's shoulder.

Piper shook her head. "No, that's not exactly right," She muttered. Will and Jason turned to look at her.

"What do you mean, that's not right?" Will asked, an angry tone in his voice.

"I'm not insulting Nico's bravery or anything," she said, immediately seeing what was bothering Will. She added a bit of charmspeak to her voice to calm him down, then continued on once she saw that his anger was dissipating. "What I mean is that from the sound of Jason's story, there was a Roman purposely waiting in hiding for someone to rescue you. He could have helped kidnap you, but there was someone he wanted to get revenge on as well." She looked down at Nico- the amazingly powerful, deadly, unconscious son of Hades- and felt a rush of sympathy. "And it looks like they almost got what they wanted."

Will leaned over and kissed Nico on the cheek. "Okay, I think it's time for us to go and let Will take care Nico. It looks like they'd be better off with some time alone," Piper said to Jason, and she pulled him away. She knew that they both wanted to stay and help, but as a daughter of Aphrodite she could tell when two people love each other and wanted to be alone together. "C'mon, Jason, let's go."

She dragged him out, and they went off to go and wake up some Ares and Hephaestus kids to help clean up the mess in the Zeus cabin. She sighed- she would have a long evening ahead of her trying to keep the Ares kids from strangling the Romans that had attacked two of their friends.

 

**Will**

 

As soon as Jason and Piper left Will staggered backwards and collapsed into a chair. His face sagged, letting his exhaustion spill through. He'd used nearly every last ounce of his healing energy to save Nico's life. He had hid his exhaustion from Piper and Jason well.

"You don't have to keep getting hurt in order to spend more time with me, Nico," Will joked tiredly to the nearly silent room. Nico's steady breathing reached his ear and he smiled wearily. It seemed like most of his time lately had been spent either healing Nico from various injuries, helping Nico with his nightmares (Nico did the same for him), practicing weaponry with Nico, or (Will's cheeks went red at the thought) kissing Nico.

The rest of the Greek demigods had been fine with Will and Nico's relationship, contrary to Nico's fears. In fact, the two of them had even developed a healthy group of "shippers", as they called themselves, in the Aphrodite and Apollo cabins.

Will watched Nico, making sure that his boyfriend didn't have another attack of rough breathing. If Nico did then Will would be there with his last bits of healing powers, ambrosia, and unicorn draught. He sincerely cared about Nico. In fact, he'd been pining after the moody son of Hades for years. No one who had known (Rachel Dare, Lou Ellen from Hecate, and some of his half-siblings) could figure out why- Will and Nico seemed like complete opposites. Maybe it was that Will could sense the loyalty and determination within the boy, or that he felt empathy for how Percy never noticed Nico's obvious (at least it was to Will) crush on him. He couldn't tell, but he had waited patiently for Nico to notice him all these years. It had been hard, but he hadn't wanted to get in Nico's way. Well, it had paid off- Nico had stopped crushing on Percy and Will had begun a steady but ( _he_ thought) subtle campaign to win Nico's attention. Doctor's orders to report to the infirmary everyday for checkups, even, in probably the most brash move of Will's life, moving into the Hades cabin for a few nights to make sure Nico was sleeping properly when Nico didn't seem like he was doing well. Okay then, not so subtle. His half-siblings had definitely taken notice. Will rolled his eyes. "Solangelo"- what would they come up with next? " _Percabeth_ ", for the camp's former most famous couple? Now that Annabeth and Percy lived in New Rome, the two couples that shared that title were Jason and Piper, and, to Nico's eternal chagrin, "Solangelo". Will didn't care as much- he was just happy to finally be with Nico.

Will settled in for a long night. He took a tiny sip of nectar to replenish his energy- he felt nearly ready to pass out. His chest warmed, the taste of his stepfather's _horchata_ , a Guatemalan drink, filling his mouth. For a moment he wondered what ambrosia and nectar tasted like to Nico. Probably like something Percy-Jackson-related. He took back what he said earlier- he didn't think Nico was completely over the son of Poseidon, and Will was okay with that. Like he said earlier, he was okay with having to wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow this chapter got deleted, so I'm having to rewrite a lot of it from memory. If it's not as good, or shorter than you remember, then I'm sorry. I'll try to finish it tomorrow.

**Six Days Until Christmas**

**Annabeth**  

 

Percy and Annabeth arrived a little ahead of the rest of the legion. Tey swooped in on Blackjack, landing next to the Poseidon cabin.

Blackjack whinnied as they were getting off. Percy sighed and replied, "You get donuts later, Blackjack. I'll bring you some when I visit the stables in a little while." Blackjack neighed, sounding happy, and Percy patted his neck. the pegasus flew off.

"So, Annabeth, you ready to see how much the camp has change since we left?" He asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"Yes. I can't wait to see the new cabins. The additions after the second Titan War were quite interesting." Then she smirked. "I wonder how your sister's shrine is going."

He made a face. "Please don't remind me of that."

She remembered what else had happened the first time he had met Kymopoleia- he had nearly died at the hands of Polybotes. "Sorry, Seaweed Brain," she apologized.

He gave her a weary smile. "It's fine." Then his smile brightened. "I can't wait to see piper and Jason!"

"Don't forget Nico, Seaweed Brain," she said teasingly, a smile on her face. She was finding this _way_ too much fun.

"Yeah, Nico too," He replied.

Suddeny Greg Bondevik from the Apollo cabin came running up. "Oh, thank the gods I've finally found you guys! Will wants you at the infirmary now. There's someone he thinks you'll want to see." Then he turned around and ran back the way came.

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look, then ran after Greg, unconsciously matching each other step for step. 

***

Piper and Jason were waiting for them at the door. "How've you been, Annabeth?" Piper asked.

"Suprisingly normal. It's a welcome change," Annabeth said. "Now who's this patient Will wanted us to see?"

Piper and Jason's faces clouded over. "C'mon in," Jason said, ushering them through the door and into the infirmary, "This way."

 


End file.
